Before You And I
by Kayryn
Summary: Everything has a beginning. Sharon/Andrea friendship, Andrea/OC, and established Sharon/Andrea relationship. Takes place in the same fic universe as my other Major Crimes fics, and follows them, and though it's not necessary to read them to understand this one, you might get more out of this if you do. Also, there are references to The Closer episode 7.08.
1. Chapter 1

**Before You and I**  
by Kayryn

**Rated**: G  
**Summary:** Everything has a beginning. Sharon/Andrea friendship, Andrea/OC, and established Sharon/Andrea relationship.  
**Disclaimer:** TNT's & James Duff's. Not mine. Never was, never will be. If it was, a certain blonde DDA would be featured in plenty more episodes.  
**A/N**: Takes place in the same fic universe as my other Major Crimes fics, and follows them, and though it's not necessary to read them to understand this one, you might get more out of this if you do. Also, there are references to The Closer episode 7.08.

* * *

It was a Friday, well after the normal office hours, and, yet, Sharon and Andrea were at Sharon's office. They were _supposed_ to be on a date, enjoying some well-deserved time alone, but Sharon had been held back because of a case, forcing her to cancel. She was upset about that alone, never mind that the case was turning into a real nightmare.

"I am so sorry," Sharon apologized, sparing a quick glance at Andrea before resuming her search for a file she must have misplaced.

Andrea, who had, until then, thought Sharon was troubled about the case, suddenly realized just how upset Sharon was about their ruined evening.

"Honey, it's all right. We'll reschedule," the DDA assured. Andrea was well aware of how irregular Sharon's hours were, and she never held it against her; it wasn't something Sharon could affect, short of retiring, and Andrea could never even fathom making such a request.

"No, it's not all right," Sharon insisted. "We've been so busy lately, and we hardly ever have time set aside just for us alone. Tonight was supposed to be special, and I messed it up."

"Sharon, look at me," Andrea said and waited until the older woman did so. "You didn't mess up anything. It's work; you can't help it if someone decides to snap and kill another person. So we missed the reservation, we'll go there another time. As for tonight, Rusty's still going to Tao's for the game night with Kevin, so, when we can, we'll go home, grab some take-out on the way, and just relax."

And while the restaurant where they'd planned on going came highly recommended by their mutual friend, Gavin Baker, Andrea didn't really care if they had a fancy dinner at the most popular Spanish restaurant in all of Los Angeles area, or ate take-out out of cartons – as long as she'd get to spend time with the woman she loved.

"Alright," Sharon smiled warmly, wondering, once again, how she'd gotten so lucky to have someone like Andrea in her life. She was about to comment on the possible take-out options when her desk phone rang.

As she answered, Rusty walked in, his ever-present back bag slung over his shoulder, and greeted both women with a nod, mindful of the fact that his foster-mother was on the phone.

Andrea watched, half worried and half intrigued, as Sharon's expression transformed from a cool and collected to aghast and incredulous. Hobbs wondered what could have possibly gone so wrong for Sharon to become so livid in such a short amount of time.

She didn't have to wonder for long.

"Lieutenant Provenza, how do you lose a witness on your way from the crime scene to the police department? How is that even possible?" Sharon demanded her voice rising with each word.

Andrea bit the inside of her cheek to stop from laughing; she couldn't stop grinning, but, right now, Sharon wouldn't appreciate just how hilarious Andrea found the situation. She did feel a bit sorry for the Captain; lieutenants Provenza and Flynn seemed to continue their habit of getting into the most ridiculous situations – it was something of a specialty of theirs.

Rusty, on the other hand, looked slightly surprised and, though not scared, cautious as Sharon kept seething at Provenza over the phone. He'd seen her frustrated, even angry, but the ire that now radiated from the woman behind the desk was somehow different to anything Rusty had witnessed before. Andrea leaned in Rusty's direction and quietly explained to him that Sharon had already been irritated because their plans for the evening had suffered. Rusty nodded, commenting that Tao had called him and told him he'd be a while longer.

When Sharon finally slammed the receiver down, a chuckle escaped from Andrea's lips, earning a glare from the pissed off Captain Raydor.

"Sorry," Andrea offered contritely, though she was still smiling, and held up a hand to stop further ranting. "I can't believe those two ever managed to become lieutenants."

"It's pure dumb luck that nothing they've screwed up has ever resulted in any irreparable damage," Sharon grumbled, and ran her hand through her hair.

Rusty, who was now a bit more relaxed, also seemed to find the humor in Sharon's indignation and quipped: "Remind me to never get on your wrong side."

Somewhat mollified, and remembering that the two people in the room were not to be blamed for this latest disaster, Sharon took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Rusty, you have no idea how right you are," Andrea concurred as she looked at Sharon and raised an eyebrow.

Sharon tilted her head questioningly; she was not at all sure she wanted to know what Andrea was referring to.

"I'm talking about a certain beanbag gun incident."

"God, will I never live that down?"

"Come on, honey, considering the man had just tried to kill me, it kind of makes you my knight in shining armor."

Sharon practically growled, her distaste for the man hired to kill Andrea still fresh in her mind.

"Had I known you were the target, or that he actually hit you, I would have been much more tempted to use real bullets," Sharon admitted.

"Well, while I appreciate your protective tendencies," Andrea assured Sharon and, considering there was a teenager in the room, tried not to think of how hot the image of Sharon shooting down the hitman was, "I think the bean bag was sufficient."

Rusty looked bewildered, shifting his eyes from Sharon to Andrea and then back again. "Wait. Someone tried to kill you? And _you_ shot him?"

Sharon tried to bury her hands in her jacket pockets, but it proved a rather futile attempt, considering how small the pockets were. Andrea hid yet another grin, finding Sharon's idiosyncrasies quite enchanting, and settled to listening as Sharon started to tell Rusty what happened two years previously.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

(Flashback)

As soon as the shooter, Hector Medina, had been apprehended, Sharon had observed Lieutenant Provenza talking on the phone with Chief Johnson. The Chief had wanted someone from their team to go to the site of the shooting, to get a better idea of what had happened. After a brief discussion between themselves, Flynn and Provenza had approached Raydor and asked if she'd be willing to go; they'd be transporting Maria Flores to the station, leaving Julio to escort the unconscious shooter to a hospital to get checked out by a doctor and Gabriel to stay with Flores' car until tech would show up. Johnson had reluctantly agreed to it, and, so, Sharon had left the scene of the arrest for the coffee shop.

Her mind a jumbled mess of thoughts and questions, Raydor drove back. Though, despite the urgency she felt, she did it at a much more controlled speed. She was still trying to piece together what exactly had happened; If there was a hit on Robert Curtis, it made no sense that the shooter would target a café where the only people linked to his case were an FBI agent and a DDA.

As she arrived at the scene, Raydor was greeted by a controlled chaos; there were a few police cruisers and several ambulances in front of the café, and, even as she parked her car not far from the scene, another ambulance pulled up. Sharon wasted no time and walked briskly towards a young police officer who was still setting up the parameter. She showed him her badge and was about to start questioning him when she heard her name being called. Looking behind the young officer, Sharon saw FBI Agent Howard standing next to one of the ambulances. Sharon briefly thought how worried Brenda must be, and seeing him alive and none worse for the wear allowed Sharon to breathe a little easier.

Sharon was still approaching Howard when he questioned her presence: "What brings you here?"

Raydor bristled slightly under the enquiry; this was not an officer involved shooting, so, yes, technically she wasn't supposed to be here. But she'd been asked, by the agent's wife, no less, to come to the scene, and they all had the same objectives, so being questioned when all she wanted to do was help was frustrating.

"Seeing as Major Crimes Division has its hands full, and the case I'm currently working on coincides with hers, Chief Johnson requested I come and assess the scene," Sharon explained, carefully maintaining her cool composure. As she reached the agent, he gestured for her to follow. Howard led her to the back of the ambulance where Sharon was shocked to see DDA Andrea Hobbs sitting at the back of the vehicle, being treated for what appeared to be a gunshot wound.

"Andrea!" Raydor exclaimed.

"I'm okay. It's just a scratch," Hobbs assured the Captain as a greeting, but her voice was somewhat shaky, and her pallor did nothing to convince Raydor.

"It's not just a scratch," Fritz countered. "And you do need to go to the hospital."

Sharon turned to look at one of the EMTs who quickly filled her in: "She got hit on the upper arm, but she'll be fine. We're taking her to the hospital; they'll be better equipped to extract the bullet with minimal damage to the muscle and stitch her up."

"So it's _not_ a scratch?" Sharon clarified.

"Not quite. Like I said, she'll be fine but she does need to go to the hospital."

"Hello, _she_ is sitting right here," Andrea huffed indignantly.

Sharon tilted her head in apology, looking abashed; she hated it when people talked about her as if she couldn't hear and now she was guilty of doing the same to Hobbs. She watched as one of the EMTs – Collins, Raydor noted her name – set a sling for Andrea's arm. Sharon was still a little shocked at finding out Andrea had been hit. It wasn't that they were particularly close, but she liked Andrea well enough; the DDA seemed to always remember they worked on the same side of the law and never gave her grief like most other people did. Sharon thought, distractedly, that Andrea was the sort of person she wouldn't mind calling a friend, if only she had the time to invest in getting to know new people. Shadowing Brenda and her team, as well as running the FID, was taking all her time.

"Andrea, I do think you should listen to the EMTs; you do need to go to the hospital," Sharon voiced empathically. She could certainly relate to Hobbs not wanting to go to the hospital as she herself disliked them strongly, but the Captain had a feeling that the DDA could use a brief interlude away from the case in order to collect herself.

Andrea grumbled something under her breath, but finally nodded her acquiescence. Collins helped the woman inside the ambulance, and Fritz took the opportunity to pull Raydor aside.

"Just before you arrived, the other medic told me Hobbs is in a mild state of shock," Howard informed Sharon. "Now, I don't want to step on any toes here, but seeing as, aside from being nicked by a few tiny shards of flying glass, I'm fine, I could be the eyes on the scene for the team in this case. I think she should probably have someone with her in the hospital."

Sharon considered his words before nodding; not only could Agent Howard fill in the Chief on what happened with the shooting, but Sharon could be there for Andrea and also take her statement. Her own statement regarding the shooting of the suspect could wait as well. She turned quickly towards Hobbs and Collins: "Wait for me, I'll be right back."

Raydor hurried to her car to collect her bag before returning to the ambulance and Hobbs. As she was about to step into the vehicle, she noticed a young police officer standing nearby and beckoned him over.

"I need someone to bring my car to hospital," Sharon directed, handing him her car keys, and, without waiting for the officer to acknowledge her, climbed into the ambulance. She knew her reputation would assure her car would be at the correct hospital in no time, and, though she didn't often capitalize on said reputation, this time she was willing to make an exception.

Raydor watched as Collins attended to Andrea before she, too, sat back. Andrea was not in any immediate danger, and all the medic could do for the moment was to wait for them to arrive at the hospital and keep an eye on Hobbs' vital signs.

Sharon herself kept a watchful eye over the DDA; maybe it was just because Andrea was in a vulnerable situation, or perhaps it was that inexplicable, deeper sense of connection Sharon felt towards the woman, but she needed to make sure Andrea would be fine.

"Is there anyone you want to call?" Sharon inquired after a few moments of silence.

Andrea hesitated, weighing her options. "No, I don't think so. Not yet, anyway."

Sharon wasn't given a chance to ponder over Andrea's answer when, at that moment, her phone rang. Checking the caller ID, she saw it was Lieutenant Flynn. Knowing the man wouldn't be calling her unless it was related to the case, she was quick to accept the call.

"Lieutenant, I'm putting you on speaker; you have me and DDA Hobbs."

"Right," Flynn said after a moment.

There was something off about his voice; even just that one word had Sharon tense up. Raydor's eyes flickered to Andrea's before focusing back on the phone, concentrating on what the disembodied voice was saying.

"We went through Flores' car and found evidence of the hit – pictures, and what looks like a down payment."

When Flynn paused again, Sharon frowned; it wasn't like him to mince words, and the way he was dragging his feet was making her nervous. Sharon hated to feel nervous.

"Lieutenant," Raydor prodded him.

"Curtis wasn't the target," Flynn explained further. "We found pictures in the trunk of the car, and… well, they're of DDA Hobbs."

Both, Sharon and Andrea, gasped, and their eyes met; they were both shocked by the unexpected news. It didn't make any sense. Why would there be a hit on Hobbs? The younger woman looked visibly shaken and, instinctively, Sharon took her hand and held it, brushing a thumb over white knuckles in a feeble effort to offer some comfort.

"Captain?"

Raydor took a deep breath, collecting herself. "Umm… Do we know why?"

"Not yet, Captain. Maybe we can get some answers when the dirtbag wakes up."

"Alright," Raydor allowed, not happy with not getting any answers, but she knew that pestering him wouldn't do any good either. "Well, thank you, Lieutenant. If you have anything new, I trust you'll call me again. And if Chief Johnson wants to know, I'll be staying with DDA Hobbs until she's been released from the hospital."

"Okay, Captain," Flynn replied and disconnected the call.

Andrea finally broke their eye contact and, closing her eyes, lowered her head in what appeared to be an effort to calm herself. Locks of blonde hair fell in front of her face and, automatically raising her right arm to brush it back behind her ear, groaned in pain.

"Careful, careful," Sharon cautioned softly.

Sharon looked at the injured woman, her mind whirling, searching for answers. Finally, she decided she just didn't have all the pieces to the puzzle – yet. They'd have to wait for more information and, until then, looking after Hobbs' immediate welfare was her primary objective.

It wasn't long after that they arrived at the hospital, and, in no time at all, Andrea was being wheeled in. They were met by a resident who was promptly filled in, but when the young man tried to get Sharon to leave, Sharon flashed him her badge and, using her most authoritative Captain Raydor tone, made it clear the patient was under police protection, and she wasn't going to allow Hobbs out of her sight. For a moment, it looked like the he might argue back, but then thought better of it. Instead, he led them to a curtained area and excused himself, promising to be right back.

"You don't have to stay, you know," Hobbs claimed, but refused to meet Raydor's eyes.

"Of course I'll stay," Sharon countered immediately, not even considering leaving as an option.

Grateful to hear the Captain's determined response, but feeling strangely reluctant to admit it, Andrea only nodded. The movement caused her hair to fall in front of her face again, obscuring it from Sharon's gaze. Using her uninjured arm, Andrea tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, but, then, when a moment later she moved her head, it became loose again, and Andrea growled, irritated.

Sharon bit her cheek, trying not to laugh; it was wholly inappropriate, and maybe it was the nerves, but she found it incredibly amusing that the woman had a bullet in her arm, but seemed more frustrated about hair falling out of place.

"Are you sure you don't want me to call anyone?" Sharon repeated her earlier question, needing something else to focus on.

"I'm sure. There's someone I need to call, but I should probably do it myself once they release me," Andrea mused and tried to blow a stubborn strand of hair that slowly crept in front of her field of vision.

Sharon couldn't ignore the blonde's futile efforts to keep her hair under control any longer and asked: "Would you like me to tie your hair back?"

Though Andrea seemed a little startled by the suggestion, she accepted the offer gladly. "Thank you."

"All up or-," Sharon asked as she took out a hair band from her bag.

"No ponytail, if I can choose."

Sharon stood behind Andrea and, quickly and efficiently, divided Andrea's hair and pulled part of it back before tying it with the hair band. The movements were automatic, and they reminded her of when her daughter was small and always asked to have her hair done. Sharon smiled; she should give her a call later.

"All done," Raydor announced not a minute later. "Not a masterpiece, but it'll do."

"Thank you," Andrea smiled gratefully.

With perfect timing, the resident who had met them earlier returned, offering apologies for being delayed due to another "short but critical emergency". He asked a few questions as he poked and prodded Hobbs' arm before explaining how he would proceed.

It was roughly half an hour later that Raydor and Hobbs were ready to head back to the police station. As Sharon had predicted, an officer had dropped off her car shortly after Andrea had been brought in. What they hadn't counted on were two reporters outside the hospital doors. How the media had found them, Sharon was sure she didn't want to know. Or, maybe she did; she'd have to have a chat with Chief Johnson regarding the matter, she might have ideas.

Though the reporters were persistent, the Captain and the DDA managed to make it to Raydor's car without too much hassle. Once they left the parking lot, Andrea sighed, pulling her phone from her bag.

Sharon concentrated on driving as Andrea made her call, only to be greeted by an answering machine.

"Hey, it's me. I just wanted to call you and give you a heads up before you hear about this through the grapevine: something happened about an hour ago, and I got shot. I'm fine, I really am. It was just a scratch, really, and I'm all patched up, and there's no reason to worry. But I just wanted to let you know, because there were some reporters outside the hospital, so it'll probably be on the news at some point. I'm headed for the police station right now, and I'm probably going to be tied there for the rest of the day. Call me later, love you."

Andrea disconnected the call and stared at the phone for a moment, before glancing at Sharon. "Diane's probably with a client, she's insanely booked this month."

"What does she do again?" Sharon asked. She had some inkling that Andrea's girlfriend had something to do with the restaurant business, but she wasn't sure if she was remembering right; the topic had only been briefly mentioned by Andrea once, and that was quite some time ago. She did remember, however, that they'd been together for almost nine years.

"She promotes restaurants," Andrea replied. "It comes in handy when one's looking for the best places to eat in."

"Well, if you have any suggestions, I'd be happy to get a few; I hardly have time to cook these days, and there's only so much take-out one can eat."

"I'll write you a list," the DDA promised, somewhat amused.

Less than fifteen minutes later the women were standing in an elevator that was taking them to the floor where Major Crimes was located.

"Thank you, Sharon, for everything," Andrea said, looking at the Captain who – and Andrea couldn't help but notice this – despite everything that had happened, still managed to look impeccable.

"Oh, don't mention it. I was happy to be able to offer some assistance," Sharon assured. She noted how tired Andrea looked and wished she could offer to take the woman for a coffee, or get her something to eat as it looked like the woman could really use either. Unfortunately, Sharon was drowning in work and still needed to make calls about Diamond's claims about police brutality. Then, once that was done, she'd have to write and file a report concerning the use of a beanbag gun to take down their would-be-assassin.

The elevator came to a stop, and the doors opened. Sharon could have just left Andrea to continue her way alone, but, at the last second, decided against it. They walked the corridors in companionable silence, and as soon as they arrived to the Murder Room, Sharon pulled up a chair for the DDA who was now starting to shiver. Sharon wondered if she should insist on Andrea going home, but she'd had enough dealings with the woman to know how stubborn she could be.

Raydor saw Agent Howard entering the murder room and, after a brief hello, exchanged information. Fritz told them Brenda was on her way back and should be arriving in just another fifteen minutes. Sharon, on the other hand, mentioned that she would need to stop by her office and asked if Howard wouldn't mind making sure the Chief didn't leave before Sharon got to see her.

As Sharon was about to leave the room, Sharon glanced behind her at Andrea who was still sitting at the desk, now just staring ahead.

"How's she doing?" Fritz asked Sharon, keeping his voice quiet.

"She'll be fine, I'm sure," Raydor answered, confident. "I think she's cold, though, the shock hasn't worn off, yet. I'll go and get her a cup of tea before I head down to FID."

In just a few minutes, Sharon returned with a cup of tea that she placed in front of Andrea. "Something to keep you warm."

"Oh, thank you." Andrea smiled gratefully.

"My pleasure," Sharon said. "I have to go, but I'll see you around. I hope you'll have a speedy recovery."

"I'm sure I will," Andrea voiced with confidence. Just as Sharon was about to step back, Andrea grabbed her hand. "Thank you."

"I'm just glad you're okay," Sharon offered with a smile of her own before turning around and heading for her own office. As she passed Agent Howard, she noticed he'd shed his FBI jacket, and it was now resting on the back of a nearby chair.

"Agent Howard," Raydor spoke softly. "Could you perhaps lend your jacket to DDA Hobbs for a while? The tea probably helps, but I think the jacket would help further."

Fritz nodded readily and grabbed the jacket before walking over to the DDA. He spared one last look at the FID Captain, wondering when the Major Crimes team would finally catch on that she wasn't one of the bad guys.

(End flashback.)


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you for those who've taken the time to read 'n review or send me a PM. Some of you have expressed interest in seeing how exactly Sharon and Andrea got together, but I don't think I'll be going too much into detail about that in this series. I have some other ideas that, if they come to fruition one day, will explore that aspect of their relationship as well. This whole series, that includes most of my MC fics, was only supposed to be just one story and kind of just took a life of its own, and it was always my intention to just show the progression of their relationship indirectly and through their actions, rather than spelling it out. Thank you again, and I hope you'll enjoy this last chapter and the stories I'll be posting in the near future.**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Rusty was looking at Sharon and Andrea, still taking in everything the women had just told him. He had to admit that he was impressed.

"Wow, Sharon. That was really badass."

Raydor gave Rusty a look that said she was none too pleased about his wording, but, then, her stern façade cracked, and a smirk played on her lips; she couldn't deny that it felt wonderful to hear him think that of her.

"Did you find out who was behind it?" Rusty wanted to know, but before either Sharon or Andrea had a chance to answer, Mike Tao knocked on the Captain's door swung it open.

"Sorry to interrupt, Captain, DDA Hobbs. Rusty, are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," the youngster replied, already up and ready to leave, but, then, he turned to the two women, his brow creasing as he frowned, worried. "You guys caught him, right?"

"We did," Sharon replied, pleased she could give an affirmative answer to his question.

Rusty nodded decisively. "Good."

"Have fun tonight, Rusty," Andrea wished him, distracting him from his ominous thoughts and bringing his attention to the game night that was waiting for him.

"Thanks, you too," he smiled, genuinely happy. He glanced at Sharon before addressing Andrea again: "Make sure she gets home and eats something."

The DDA, touched by Rusty's concern, nodded, silently promising to do just that.

Sharon huffed indignantly from behind her desk and opened another file; those two were acting as if she couldn't take care of herself. So, she'd slipped a little when her worry over Rusty's safety had overwhelmed her, but she'd been doing much better since their intervention, and she certainly didn't need a babysitter.

"Okay, you heard the kid, let's go," Andrea said, her tone already insistent, as she knew Sharon would object.

"No, I can't; I need to wait till they catch the witness."

Andrea resisted rolling her eyes.

"They don't even know where he went. I'm sure they'll catch him, but it could take all night. So, unless you're planning on joining the search party, you and I are going home," Andrea reasoned, trying to ignore the small detail that she'd just called Sharon's place home.

Luckily, Sharon didn't seem to have heard it as she'd apparently focused on Andrea's earlier words.

Andrea shook her head: "Don't even think about it. I can forgive you for having to cancel our date, but I will not be so benevolent if you take off on a midnight drive around town when you have people who will do that for you."

Andrea stood up, and, grabbing Sharon's iPhone and bag, walked to the door. "Come on, up."

Sharon did as she was told; she was half irritated, half amused by Andrea's bossiness, but it a hundred percent turned her on.

"Fine, but don't think you can boss me around all evening."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Andrea promised, soothing Sharon's ruffled feathers.

A few hours later, when Sharon was lying on her back in bed with Andrea curled up around her, Sharon decided she really didn't mind it so much when Andrea was expressing her more dominating side. After having shared a relaxing bath, the younger woman had steered them to Sharon's bedroom where Andrea had made sure there was nothing but Andrea, and the pleasures they could bring to each other, on Sharon's mind.

Sharon sighed, content, as her fingers traced the scar on Andrea's right arm. She didn't want to say it out loud, didn't feel the need to verbally return to the events that took place two years earlier, but she was eternally grateful to the universe that Andrea's life had been spared that day. It had been close, too close, and Sharon dreaded to even contemplate the possibility of never having had the chance to get to know the amazing woman in her arms. She turned her head slightly, kissing Andrea goodnight.

Andrea relaxed further under Sharon's soothing touch. She could feel Sharon's fingertips lingering on her scar and she thought about the small, red pouch that had, at the hands of Sharon Raydor, taken down the man who had been paid to kill her. Once the case had closed, and Andrea had been ready to leave the Murder Room, she had seen the bean bag on Lieutenant Flynn's desk. She'd asked if she could have it, and he'd gladly obliged; it was now one of her most prized possessions.

**The end**


End file.
